Variance Magazine!

Hello All!

Hope everyone is doing great and your week is off to a great start! I just wanted to drop by and let everyone know about a brand new music magazine that we are publishing called Variance Magazine. The site is up right now and you can get a free email subscription. Go and get signed up today to www.variancemagazine.com and get signed up today!

TMG iPad Giveaway!

Hello blogword! It has been a few weeks since I have last updated and their are lots of cool things going on at Tate Music Group. But I wanted to tell you about something that is going on RIGHT NOW!

During the month of May TMG is giving away an iPad. Yes, I said iPad. Now I finally got a chance to get my hands on one of these bad boys this weekend at the mall and I was pretty impressed.

TMG has a twitter account, twitter.com/TMGofficial, and you have to be a follower of TMG to get a chance to win the iPad. So if you are on twitter, it would be crazy NOT to follow us for a chance to win an iPad. So jump on there! More updates to come soon!

Voices of Glory

The last few days have been very exciting here in the TMG studios. We had the pleasure of having the gospel trio "The Voices of Glory" in to record their debut album with us. The Voices of Glory were on the popular tv show "America's Got Talent" and actually placed 5 in the competition. The "Voices" are comprised of two brothers Michael and Avery, and one sister Nadia. They are an extremely talented group with huge hearts for spreading the gospel through music. It was such an honor for me to work with them and be a part of something so cool. I will definitely keep you posted on the final album and definitely put some sneak peak tracks very soon!

starbucks with a side of humility

These last few days have been so crazy and excited all at the same time. Tonight is the Tate Music Group Artist of the Year competition and I have been lucky enough to play in the house band again with some great artists and great musicians.

One of the artists who made it to the top 3 finalists is Chuck Tocco. I had the honor of being able to work with Chuck in January as his producer/engineer/studio musician. Chuck is a super talented guy with a great heart. Not only is he a great guy, but the dude has a SOLID record if I do say so myself.

One of the reasons I liked working with Chuck so much was just his humility. It also didn't hurt that he brought in Starbucks every morning for all of the producers. Chuck definitely had a clear cut idea and direction that he wanted his music to go on. But Chuck also knew that he couldn't get there on his own, and he needed a producer/engineer/studio musician to help him get there. He was always more that willing to listen to thoughts that I had on how we could take a song to the next level or how we could make it better. His humility also made it even easier for me to hear him out on ideas that I might not have feel in love with the first time.

I really believe that because BOTH of us were willing to set aside any pride we might have had, we came out with a great record. For some, this may seem very obvious, but I don't think it is for everyone. I think we could all afford to remember how far a little humility and understanding goes. It went pretty far for Chuck, he will be performing tonight to be our Artist of the Year, when a good chunk of change, and a chance for his LIFE to be changed.

Regardless of whether Chuck wins tonight, or Darin Rex, or Jupiter Wind, all of those guys are there because they were willing to listen and willing to try something that stretched them to a place where they never they could be. It should be a pretty exciting night, can't wait to get out there!

iPad

Over the last few years Apple has been on the cutting edge of technology and has revolutionized how we interact and consume things on an everyday basis. Since the invention of the very first iPod and the iTunes marketplace the music industry has not been the same. The iPad plans to continue to change the way we consume music.

A lot of audiophiles have long complained that the iPod has ruined music because people rarely buy an album any more but rather buy singles. One of the features that the iPad offers is being able to thumb through things like Album Artwork, Liner notes, and Lyrics, much like LP's of the past. This is an effort on Apple's part to bring the album back into music.

Whether you are a fan of the iPad or not, it does promise one thing...the music industry has yet another major avenue to consume music. And one of the great parts of being a part of Tate Music Group is the online distribution we have to offer. Being a part of the Tate family allows you to get your music out there in ways you couldn't do on your own, and one of those avenues is iTunes. Having your music on iTunes allows you to be a part of one of the biggest marketplaces for consuming music.

Whether you are a part of our family or considering us, we encourage you to go out and find a new way to find new music...go buy a cd, buy a record, download an album....but discovering new music, is definitely a part of growing as a musician.

TMG Artist Receiving National TV Exposure

Tate Music Group Now offers a brand new service to all TMG artists. We are now creating and producing Viral Commercials that will help promote the artist, album and single.

Viral videos in themselves can be used in a number of ways to promote an artists music, from being uploaded to theirMySpace page, to being played before a performance, and even going straight to YouTube and other video sites. Tate Music Groups team of Multimedia Producers will build the Viral Commercial around the artist’s music, using their photos and album artwork to capture potential consumers and build excitement and visibility for the music.

Not only do we hand over the video to our artist in order for them to use as they see fit but Tate Music Group also guarantees National and Regional TV exposure on major music TV networks (MTV, MTV2, VH1, CMT, BET, FUSE...). TMG is running national and regional commercial spots based around album release dates, events or for a blanket periods of time.

This is a huge game change as it allows TMG to guarantee National TV exposure to any artist who wants to take advantage of this option.

Happy TMG Artists

One of our TMG Artists recently sent this email to our Director of TMG Acquisitions, Brianne Webb. Love getting emails like these!

Dear Brianne,

Hello, I hope all is well with you and yours. I just wanted to drop a few lines of sincere gratitude to you and TMG. I wouldn't in a million years imagined all that has transpired this year in my life being yoked up with you all. You don't know how happy I am that I didn't sit on the music that I wrote and let it go stagnant, I'm truly blessed to have you and TMG consider me and my music and for you to see and hear something in that submission.

I know I've asked and continue to ask many questions; I don't mean to be a pest-lol, I'm just new at this and ya'll know that. But never the less, you and all that I have dealt with at TMG have been friendly and nothing less than A-1 professional. I don't know who made the decisions to assign me with the folks I've been assigned with during the process so far but it has seemed like the vision from the artwork with Cole Roberts to the music production with Jameson Reynolds had been pulled right from my mind and straight into theirs without incident. I really enjoyed my studio time with Jameson-he's a really cool guy and I believe he can read minds because I'd describe what I heard or envisioned and bam, it was done!

I'm working with Chris Rutherford right now and he's great. Things are going pretty good so far. A couple of Georgia radio stations have picked me up and CDs are selling. I've been asked if I would be interested in doing a radio interview the first of the year, so I'm excited about that too.

Well I guess I'll go for now, again I can't say it enough ....Thank You!!!

I hope you have a Merry Christmas and Prosperous New Year!

-Adam Howell

Check out Adam's music here.

TMG Radio Airplay

Hope you guys are having a fantastic Wednesday!

The recent success at Tate Music Group, with a few of our artists like Jeff Chandler and his top 10 single "I Know You're There" and the number one hits that Regie Hamm has had over the course of the last few years, has sparked more and more questions on how "I", the artist, get more radio airplay.

Here's a little insight from our radio research consultant, Brandon Rahbar, about how it's all about that "hook" to catch the attention of, not only the radio researchers out there, but the potential audience that will be listening to this song. Absolutely subscribe to his blog to read all the little tips from the inside of the radio research side of your project. And, maybe you're not a TMG artist but you want to know how to succeed like so many of the Tate Music Group artists, selling product and getting radio airplay AND doing it successfully... give us a call at 888-361-9473! We'd love to explain how and why our artists are as successful as they are.

Here's Brandon's blog on the "hook":

"One of the main questions and comments I'm getting from TMG artists is about my listening to their music and hoping that something in it hooks me.

Well, after listening to new TMG releases for the past couple of months, I've heard a lot of very good artists. I've heard artists with a bunch of potential. I've made recommendations for certain songs that should be pushed to radio. And I've advised some artists on which songs I feel are their strongest and maybe some things they can work on. It's a fun process. I love listening to your work and helping in any way I can. Picking the hits, that's always been one of my favorite things to do.

Anyways, in the midst of listening to many TMG artists, I found an artist that was absolutely dynamite. Thirty seconds into the first song, he had my attention. I was hooked. I listened to his next song, same thing. After the third song, I knew this guy had the goods. I advised TMG that this artist was big-time and that I'd like to do something more with him. He's a top shelf talent and I want to do more to help.

I just wanted to blog about this to show you guys that I'm taking this stuff seriously. If I run across something that I just think is absolutely dynamite and it blows my socks off, I'm gonna alert TMG to it and let them know that we have something special in the works. Could that be you? We'll see... I'll be listening!"

TMG Artists, "The Westbrook Singers" featured in QC Magazine!

Tate Music Group recording artists, The Westbrook Singers, were featured in the winter edition of QC Magazine. We are proud of the work the "singers" are doing! To purchase their upcoming release, please visit their page on our Tate Publishing bookstore here! Here's the article from QC:

"Some say the Westbrook Singers got their start in 1960 in a tiny neighborhood church in East Moline when Charles and Barbara Westbrook, parents of 11 children, founded the Community Outreach Church of God in Christ. It was then that Barbara start- ed the choir with just her kids, providing the perfect opportunity for their five girls and six boys to develop their musical talents.

Others say the Westbrook Singers got their start in 1975, the year Charles and Barbara’s son, Kenneth, was shot by a key- board player in Minneapolis. While it is true that being in the children’s church choir provided the Westbrooks with valuable training and experience, their love for Kenneth was the impetus to take their talent to the next level.

“In 1975, our brother, Kenneth, was a member of a band in Minneapolis,” said Gary Westbrook. “When we heard the news (of the shooting), we immediately brought him home to recover.”

The siblings rallied around their brother, knowing how much he missed his music. “We needed to find an avenue for Kenneth to express his love for music,” said brother-in-law Raymond Bryson. With musical talent brimming in the family, forming a group and calling it the Westbrook Singers was the obvious solution.

The group has changed over the years since their fateful beginning. While all 11 siblings originally performed in the band, only four now actively remain—Gary Westbrook, Brenda Joyce (Westbrook) Lee, Delores (Westbrook) Tingel and Cynthia (Westbrook) Bryson.

The four have traveled the country, performing on the Bobby Jones Gospel Show and sharing the stage with gospel greats such as Andrae Crouch, recipient of the Dove Award; the Winans, pio- neers in the field of contemporary gospel music; and the Williams Brothers, gospel singers with the greatest longevity of all time.

A STYLE ALL THEIR OWN

“The Westbrook Singers have their own authentic sound,” says Bryson. “It’s Gospel Jazz that is both contemporary and tra- ditional.” To grasp and appreciate the Westbrook Singers’ music, it’s best to experience it firsthand.

Bob Marovich of the Black Gospel Blog (www.theblackgospelblog.com) notes, “The effortlessness with which the Westbrook Singers interact is something only singers who grow up singing with one another in the family living room can develop.”

The group’s soprano, Delores (Westbrook) Tingel, is often the voice fea- tured throughout much of their music. Praising her, the Black Gospel Blog comments, “Delores hits notes so far over the ledger line that a music transcriber would have a difficult time writing them on paper.”

The Westbrook Singers write much of their own music. An aspect unique to their music is the art of weaving lyrics from old, well-known hymns into their modern arrangements.

While the make-up of the group has varied over the years, their focus has not. Music is their ministry as they attempt to “fill a spiritual void amid the turmoil and confusion of the world today while stressing family unity.” The Westbrook Singers are excited about their future. They have recently signed a recording contract with Tate Music Company in Mustang, Okla. The company will repackage and market the Westbrook Singers’ CD, and make it available nationwide in retail chains such as Best Buy. Musical talent runs deep in the family, as evidenced by the upcoming generation of Westbrooks. “We have some very talented grandkids,” said Bryson. “However, the music of their generation will be very different from ours—it’s more of a praise and worship style of gospel.”

THE WESTBROOK FAMILY

The patriarch, Bishop Charles B. Westbrook and his wife of 69 years, Barbara, are 92 and 84 years old respectively. Barbara is still an inspi- rational singer and is proud that her children are using their talent to glorify God.

The siblings, ranging from oldest to youngest, are Rochelle, Charles Jr., La June, Brenda Joyce, Kenneth, Dennis, Larry, Delores, Gary, Joseph and Cynthia. The family spans five generations, with 50 grandchil- dren, 56 great-grandchildren and two great- great grandchildren. Ministry runs deep in the Westbrook fami- ly, which has a total of seven pastors among them. The family also has a voice in city gov- ernment—Gary Westbrook serves as alder- man for the 7th Ward of East Moline. Charles and Barbara instilled in their chil- dren a strong work ethic and the family shares a long history with one Quad City employer, John Deere Harvester in East Moline.

“Dad worked for Deere for 33 years before retiring,” Larry said, though he was quickly corrected by Gary who quipped, “You mean 33 years, nine months and nine days. That’s what Dad always said!”

In addition to Charles Sr., 10 of the 11 Westbrook siblings have worked for John Deere Harvester at one time or another. Three have retired and two are still employed by of John Deere.

The Westbrooks’ dedication to John Deere has not gone unnoticed by the manufacturing giant. The family was recently featured in the John Deere Journal for their dedication and service to the company. “Collectively, we’ve given over 200 years of service to the compa- ny,” said Gary with a grin.

The siblings credit their parents for instill- ing a strong family bond amongst them. “All the credit goes to our parents,” said Larry Westbrook, current Minister of Community Outreach Church of God in Christ. “And we’ve taken the value of their teaching and are pass- ing it along to our children.”

TMG Producers... LIVE!

Catch myself and TMG Producer, Joshua Dougan, live at an event in Tulsa, Oklahoma at 7PM tomorrow night.

You can watch the live stream here.

Definitely something you won't want to miss!

CMSpin.com press release on TMG Artist, Jupiter Wind...

From CMSpin.com: http://www.cmspin.com/newsmanager/anmviewer.asp?a=5691&z=26

"On the heels of launching in early 2009 with their debut single, Everyday, which enjoyed major national connectivity with Christian radio, the talented guys of rock band, JUPITER WIND, are saddling fresh horses this fall with the announcement of several major career advances.

The band has signed with the Tate Label Group for release of their first album in 2010. They are currently in studio putting finishing touches on the new music with a radio single in the works for January.

In announcing the signing, Brianne Webb, Director of Artist Acquisitions for TMG, noted: “Jupiter Wind combines their original sound, well-crafted music, and industry experience with their intense passion to reach youth with a relevant message for God. Tate Music Group is honored to partner with them in getting their music to the mass audiences at radio and retail.”

Grammy Award winning producer, Dale Oliver, has also signed on to manage Jupiter Wind through his own management firm, OTM Production. Oliver, whose production efforts have helped raise Casting Crowns to multi-platinum levels, has been instrumental in the initial studio launch of Jupiter Wind. He will now oversee career direction as well as production of new music.

Immediate on the band’s promotional docket is their inclusion in a special promotion this month with Interl’inc. Through the Interl’inc mailing, a targeted market to more than 7,500 youth pastors will be invited to catch the vision of Jupiter Wind’s music and ministry."

TMG sponsors renowned Billboard World Song Contest...

MUSTANG, OK – This week, Oklahoma-based record label Tate Music Group (TMG) has confirmed a new strategic sponsor partnership with the renowned Billboard World Song Contest.

As a sponsor for the contest, TMG will select one Grand Prize Winner to be awarded a TMG new artist development contract that includes recording a full album, event booking, and radio and web promotion. The agreement also expands the competition terms to include prizes for the top 36 entries in the contest, based on submissions from artists worldwide.

The Billboard World Song Contest was the first competition of its kind, and has made great strides in exposing first-time, unknown artists to the world through the Billboard World Song Contest Winners’ CD sent to music executives, producers, publishers, agents, promoters, and other music industry moguls.

Tate Music Group President Ryan Tate anticipates adding fresh new talent to their label, including their recent contract with American Idol songwriting contest winner Regie Hamm, who penned the number-one song, “The Time of My Life.”

“We are excited to announce this partnership and hope we can continue working hand-in-hand with Billboard World Song Contestto bring exposure to unknown talent across the world,” Tate said.

With this agreement, TMG joins Billboard World Song Contest partners CASIO, D’Addario Strings, TAXI-The Independent A& R Vehicle, Indie Band Manager, Discmakers, CD Baby, Blublocker Sunglasses, GoGirlsMusic.com, The Halsey Institute, and Sonicbids.com.

For more information, please visit www.tatemusicgroup.com


Billboard World Song Contest

TMG Artist, Nisha, recognized in national magazine and talks shop on TMG!

Tate Music Group Recording Artist, Nisha, has been featured in "Music Connection", a nationally recognized magazine publication. In the article, Nisha talks about her recent signing with Tate Music Group, and explains how great of a deal it truly is!

For best viewing, check out the digital "Music Connection" magazine article here. The article is located on page 26.

“Like any dedicated artist, sexy R&B singer Nisha Hester focused her energy on recording a masterpiece rather than seeking the perfect label. In her corner, however, was former manager, Eric Stancil, who took the time to research her options and mail press kits to potential takers. A likely prospect was...TMG Records.
Although TMG needs to hear at least 3 songs in order to choose an artist, one song in particular got the attention of their signing rep. “Where Did The Love Songs Go” had such an impact that she even included a special introduction in the contract that mentioned the impression-making track as the reason TMG wished to sign her.
‘There are several things I love about TMG,’ explains the rising diva. ‘I like the support and freedom they give to their artists. They allow their artists to maintain all the ownership - as far as songwriting royalties go, we own everything.’ Plus, she adds, ‘They give the highest royalty payments of all the labels out there.’ Also, Hester felt the weren’t hiding an agenda. “We have the freedom to cancel anytime we’re not happy. We can work with other third-party companies,’ she marvels. ‘We have so much freedom!’
There had been another label under consideration, but they asked for a significant chunk of money up front. Weighing the two options, it was clear which company offered the better deal. In fact, TMG’s deal was so generous that she signed without any negotiations.
‘It was almost too good to be true,’ she says. ‘I really didn’t have to think too much about it.’ The agreement itself goes a year and includes an option to renew. Hester recommends other artists to find the label of their dreams; she insists on persistence and never compromising. ‘This is your life – don’t just sign up to the first thing that comes your way.’ She states. ‘And never give up.’
Nisha’s debut, The Metamorphosis, was released in September.

- Andy Kaufmann
Music Connection Magazine”

Exporting tracks for mixing and mastering...

As a mixing engineer, I get a lot of questions in regards to how to properly send files for mixing. While I do get a lot of files that were done properly and exported ready to mix, I get a ton of files that were incorrectly exported and just simply won't work for mixing.

I threw together a quick screenshot video for you to check out, in hopes that it gives you a visual on how to properly export your tracks.

We're using Logic Pro, so the platform you're using may be different, however, the idea is the same. Essentially, when you have properly exported tracks for mixing, they should all be the SAME length, time, and most often than not, same file size. For example, a song that is 3:30 seconds long will have however many individual tracks, all 3 minutes and 30 seconds long. In the same vein, each track will most likely end up the same file size (example, there are 13 total tracks, and all are 42.2MB each).

If there are 13 tracks, track 1 is 759KB, 2 is 42.2MB, 3 is 1.2MB and so on, these files will not work for mixing.

Hope this helps!

Brooke Fraser's Songwriting Blog #2

Good morning everybody! Brooke Fraser's 2nd blog on songwriting is up and wanted to share it with all the readers of this blog. If you are a musician/songwriter, her blogs are sure to give you some inspiration or help to steer you in the right direction on writing! And please check out her site and music.

PROCESS – Part I
This blog will be about the actual writing process, with all its peaks and valleys, frustration and elation. I’ll cover inspiration, beginning a song and crafting a song .

I originally had elements such as melody and lyric as part of the ‘craft’ section of this blog, but in getting to it discovered there was so much I wanted to cover that I realised they were asking for their own blog (I plan to post that one within a day of this, so you won’t have to wait another six weeks!).

The creative process differs hugely from person to person, and even varies from work to work, piece to piece. I am not theorising about everyone else’s process, I’m simply trying to unpack my own for the amusement of any who may be interested. Happy reading (hope you’re in a comfy chair!)…

1. INSPIRATION– “Spark / Seeing”
Bloody inspiration. I think it’s every lazy journalist’s default fallback question. “Where does your inspiration come from?”. Stepping back a bit though, I think the question used to irritate me so much because I really didn’t understand what they were asking, let alone how to answer it. For most of my songwriting life, I’d always just “feel” when a song was churning around in my belly and I’d go to an instrument and it would come. Or I’d be at an instrument mucking around, then a song would turtlehead and I would get to work chipping and carving and coercing and bribing it out. But which aspect of that was “inspiration” and how it had come to me – I find that impossible to pin down and I certainly don’t think it’s necessarily anything I did in that moment to have it come. If we speak of inspiration as the spark that lights the fire, I suppose much of what we do as songwriters or artists is like banging stones together – preparing, being aware of our internal ‘climate’ (see previous blog), reading, writing, scribbling, sitting at an instrument and playing and fiddling and noodling – and hoping furiously that if we bang our stones together for long enough, a spark will eventually come.

I’ve always identified with the Michelangelo quote: “I saw the angel in the marble and I carved until I set him free.”

As it relates to songwriting, the “seeing” is the inspiration (the churning in the belly, the spark, the thing that fires you up so much that you cannot keep it in) and the “carving” is the craft, the tools with which we set our “song” free.

2. BEGINNING
Finishing a song can sometimes feel like an insurmountable task, but beginning can often be just as daunting, sitting around waiting for a spark. Here are some ideas that might help you get off the blocks:

Beginning with Harmony (Chords)
The most common way for a song to begin for me is actually by finding some kind of harmonic bed (chord progression) which feels good to me… I will play around with capo positions if I’m on the guitar (for some reason I have a penchant for frets 3 and 5), different voicings, emphases and sometimes tuning (but I’m no guitar maestro so much of the time I don’t really know what I’m doing, which can often be helpful believe it or not). Often a melody will come to me when I find a chord grouping that resonates with me. “The Thief”, “Hymn”, “C.S. Lewis Song” are examples of this. I find the chords often can indicate to you where the melody should/could go, too… but I’ll expand on this in the next blog specifically dealing with elements of song.

Beginning with Melody
Sometimes a melody will come to you and lead off an idea. Some little line pops into your head in the car or in the grocery store or the shower, and with a little encouragement and context (chords) you can find a flow and follow it. Deciphering Me and Love is Waiting were like this. Lots of writers I know have that little mic attachment for iPod that they record ideas with. I’m not so advanced – my recording tools are my phone and Garageband (comes pre-installed on Macs). When a melody line pops into your head – RECORD it a.s.a.p.! I cannot tell you the number of times I’ve had great melodies come to me at an inconvenient time and I’ve thought to myself “I’ll remember that later”. And I don’t. Also with garageband, make sure you press ‘save’, not ‘don’t save’ when you exit the programme. Last week I got a chorus melody to a song I’ve been working on for ages, just as I was running out the door to a meeting. I quickly put it down in Garageband, quit Garageband, shut down my laptop and ran out the door. I came back to the file later and the chorus WASN’T THERE. Devastation.

Beginning with Lyric
Carry a notebook with you. Sometimes I’ll use the ‘memo’ function on my phone to jot down a lyric idea, but I find that a bit soul-less. I’m a pen to paper, lo-fi, kinda gal. I would be mortified if anyone ever saw the contents of the various notebooks I’ve carried with me over the years. They are filled with all kinds of notions, thoughts, phrases, quotes and crazy stream-of-consciousness weird stuff… but some of that stuff will spark a song later on, so I write it all anyway.

Beginning with Rhythm
One of the reasons I started playing the guitar at 15 (late starter) was because I was sick of writing slow piano songs (piano is my first instrument). It’s a rare night you’ll see me play without a guitar in front of me… part of it is a muscle memory thing, part of it is just that I love rhythm – it’s how I feel part of a song. Because melody lines/sung parts often flow over staccato rhythms (and I’d get quite bored with just participating in a song like that I think) I love being able to smash my guitar and be right there in the action of the song. Rhythm has been the founding factor of songs like “Hosea’s Wife”, “Lifeline” (off WTDWD) and “Albertine”. Have a play around with different rhythms and strum patterns and see if it helps a new idea emerge. Listen to music with rhythms that are different to those you might normally start with when you’re in autopilot.

Beginning with Story
I can’t say I do this a lot, but I have friends who write the majority of their songs by using a story (true or imagined) as a frame and then musically/lyrically filling it in, using narrative or first-person. My friend Ben says that he does this because then he doesn’t have to come up with a lot of clever one liners, he can just lyrically illustrate a character (really he is a genius and he’s just being modest). A lot of artists I admire use this method and it’s not something I am naturally very good at so I will probably experiment with it some more in the future. It’s good to work on your weaknesses. If you just work from your strengths all the time, you might start to think you’re awesome, which none of us are, and your songs will sound ‘samey’ and eventually you may hit a dead end. Plus you’ll be arrogant, which is never attractive. I think part of being a good anything, whether it be a writer, a musician or a good mum, is to develop and sow into the areas we struggle with.
(NB: People who are good at this: Joni Mitchell (my hero), Bob Dylan, Brighteyes, about a million other people who aren’t me)

3. CRAFT – “Carving”
Once you’ve begun… what do you do? Here’s where the chasing, sitting and distinctly unglamorous hard work kick in.

For me personally, once I’ve begun, I set about the task of getting to know the song. It probably sounds quite odd, but nowadays I see my songs as people. Once I meet them via ‘beginning’, I must set about asking questions – trying to “see” the song in order to “carve” it out (that Michelangelo quote again).
Does the song feel like a lullaby, a dirge, an anthem, a waltz, a power-punch, a ballad? It may be sweet at the beginning, but does it have a dark twist at the end? Or does it want to stay sweet all the way? I try not to impose my preferences on the song – I don’t want to make it someone it isn’t. This part is pretty much all instinct. Listen to your gut.

Part of the reason I am averse to co-writing is because often you find yourselves in situations where you are pressured to “finish an idea” or “find the killer hook” in a day or even a few hours. This may be good for commerce but I think it does art a disservice. Songwriting for me is only satisfying when it is personal, intimate and costly. There is the mystery and then there is the labour. They go hand in hand. We’ve dealt a little with the mystery/inspiration, now here’s some thoughts on the labour aspect of things:

3.1 Getting Stuck
Frustration is virtually inevitable, but so is elation once you’ve found the path around your obstacle.
Here are a few things I do when I get stuck:

Move to another instrument
I find a change of how I see the chords, i.e. moving from guitar to piano or vice versa can help me get past an impasse. If you only play one instrument, or don’t play at all, take your idea to someone who does play another instrument and see if that helps. However, I recommend to anyone who wants to write to take the time to learn some basic chords on a piano or guitar and use them! I have a friend who can’t play to save herself, but went and learned some basic chords and plays around with different voicings and variations of them. She has gone on to become an incredible writer, and I’m so grateful that she took the time to equip herself, because I as a listener am benefitting from the fruits!

Do something else for a while
Whilst writing with my friend William Fitzsimmons recently, I twittered this: “Warning: If you ever ‘co-write’ with me, it will involve long bouts of doing nothing, lots of cups of tea and pauses to enjoy youtube. It may seem at first like we are doing nothing… but we are simply tricking the song into thinking we are not paying attention so that it will quit its shyness and come the heck out.” Maybe that’s a little bit of insight into how I work, but I find getting stressed and throttling a song by the neck has never helped me. As with passing a bowel movement (refer to first blog ‘Climate’), you just have to relax, read a magazine, pick at your cuticles, ‘ped-egg’ the dry skin on your feet, whatevs. Go fishing or something, then come back and have another crack.

Work on a different idea
I am always working on a bunch of ideas at once. If I get stuck on one, I’ll move to the next, and the next, then come back to it, then onto the next, etc.

3.2 Perseverance
Oh how underrated is this virtue in our generation! iPods, iPhones, myspace etc… it’s all about me and what I want right this minute. But nothing of value comes for free. What’s true in life is true in art… PERSEVERE.

I started writing songs at 12 years of age. I can say with confidence that all the songs I wrote between then and ‘Better’ when I was 17 were utter crap. And there were hundreds of them. If you want to feel better about yourself, go look up some of my early B-sides. Absolute shockers. BUT those absolute shockers were the stepping stones to the better, acceptable-for-public-listening songs I would go on to write. Even now I’m still utterly embarrassed by a bunch of songs from my first record, but you know what? I’m grateful for them. Every song you write helps you become a better writer and find your own voice as an artist. The evidence of my journey so far is now immortalised on CD and hard drive, and as much as my pride would like to destroy the embarrassing stuff, hopefully it’s a testimony to perseverance and time.

3.3 Hard Work
I wrote “Albertine” in a morning after my return from my first trip to Rwanda in 2005 (it’s arguable that I’d already done the groundwork for the song with my eight straight hours of journalling on the flights home). Yet “Love, Where Is Your Fire?” was written in various hotel rooms in Tokyo, L.A., London & Australasia and took me more than two years to complete. “Love is Waiting” took about the same and was completed about 30 seconds before I had to go in and sing the final vocal on the record (and we left it until last). I am still not totally happy with the lyrics even today and wish I could have given it more time. It’s not my best.

Leonard Cohen’s famous 1984 song “Hallelujah” has been covered by over 200 artists – the Jeff Buckley version being perhaps the most widely known (Rufus Wainwright’s is impeccable too). It is still being covered in studios, bars and cafes the world over today. It sounds effortless, but the story goes that Cohen penned a massive EIGHTY (yes, 80) verses before he came to the verses that became the song.

Charles Wesley, the famous hymnist, wrote 6000 hymns. Six freakin’ thousand.

No shortcuts. Give your songs the chance to be excellent. Shove that in your cultural ADD and smoke it. (No offence to people with actual ADD intended.)

CONCLUSION:
Write and write and write and write! Spend the time, listen to lots of music, read about how other people create, talk to other people about how create, work hard, have fun, enjoy the journey!

Regie Hamm's "Time of My Life" in Primetime

National award-winning singer/songwriter, and Tate Music Group artist, Regie Hamm's hit song "Time of My Life" is making the rounds on primetime television!

First, of course, on the season finale of American Idol, as winner David Cook sang Regie's song to streaming confetti and to screaming fans.

However, more recently, "Time of My Life" has been featured on the season finale of "America's Got Talent", and again last night on "Dancing With the Stars".

Learn more about Regie's other #1 hits and get an idea of his heart for music by visiting his site here.

Tate Music Group, a top notch deal!

Tate Music Group artist Eric Aubrey recently wrote a blog about his great experience with Tate Music Group! Eric just finished recording vocals in the TMG Studios and the album is currently being mixed and mastered...

Eric wrote on his blog: "Quite a bit has happened with my music since I last posted here. I have signed a record deal with Tate Music Group and am currently working on my album with them. The experience so far has been awesome and I cannot wait to release the album sometime in the coming couple of months!!!!!! I would definitely recommend TMG to anyone one trying to get a start in music. The deal they offer is top notch and well worth the upfront expense! So far everything they have said they will do they've done and I see no reason why that will not continue! The staff is so friendly, courteous and professional. If i seem over the top for TMG it is because I have been through so many ups and downs trying to get this album done. I've had so many broken promises and so many almosts that I was on the verge of giving up. Then I found TMG's site and I have been given new hope and a peace that everything will be as God intended it. Well I guess that will do it for now. Hopefully I'll update a little more often now that I'm moving along with music and ministry again!!!!!!!

Beyond the Darkness there is light!!!"

It's always a privilege to work with artists that have the heart and talent Eric has. I have to agree with Eric; Tate Music Group's contract and offer are second to none! The amount you'd end up spending for production, design, duplication and marketing of your project elsewhere is ludicrous compared to what you'll get with the Tate Music Group deal.

Please, feel free to call us with any questions you may have about how Tate Music Group operates and/or how to get this great deal! (888) 361-9473

Tate Music Group Studio New Location!

The weekend is over, and the Tate Music Group Studios has relocated!

Below is a quick timelapse video we created of us moving out of the old location and into the new... still a lot to do, but we are operational and began our first session this morning!

Chart Topping American Idol Songwriter signs with Tate Music Group

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

REGIE HAMM SIGNS BOOK AND RECORD DEAL

WITH TATE PUBLISHING AND TATE MUSIC GROUP

Plans for immediate single release to CCM radio and appearance at Kansas City’s

“Rock The Light” festival this weekend

NASHVILLE, September 2, 2009 – Hit singer/songwriter/producer Regie Hamm scored his biggest hit this year with the solo-written, 16-week No. 1 song “Time of My Life” for American Idol’s David Cook, and today he has signed a combined book and record deal with the Oklahoma-based Tate Publishing and Tate Music Group.

The announcement will be made formal with Hamm’s appearances this weekend at Kansas City’s “Rock The Light” festival. Tate Music Group plans an immediate single release to CCM radio, followed by a CD release and book detailing his inspirational story.

The book tells the story of Hamm’s adoption of an orphaned Chinese girl and the life-changing events surrounding it, including composing the hit song, “Time of My Life,” which was inspired by his emotional journey these past six years.

With 21 No. 1 songs to his credit as a songwriter, and a Top 20 Adult Contemporary hit as an artist, Hamm is well-poised for the single release to CCM radio. The single will be followed by the book, as well as a 20-song CD, tentatively called “Full Circle.” The project will include nine No. 1 songs written by Hamm, and eleven new originals. Hamm says the 20-song project is truly about his life and his journey.

“You can’t see the circle while you’re making it,” Hamm said. “Only special moments can allow you to see all of it: China… babies… songs… music… dreams… success… happiness. They all mean different things to me because of what I have been through. Any plan I could’ve developed would never have been as beautiful and unexpected. This one was divine.”

Tate Publishing, based in Oklahoma City, was founded in 2001 and has become one of the fastest growing publishing companies in the nation. They recently expanded to include record label Tate Music Group, and are distributed nationwide through Universal and Ingram.

President and CEO Ryan Tate said, “Tate Music Group is excited to partner with such a talented artist in Regie Hamm. We’re looking forward to making this venture a success for all.”

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Contact: Bryan Norris, Key Marketing Group, 877-727-0697, bryan@keymgc.com

Ed Nash, Rutledge Nash 615.751.9977 ed@rutledgenash.com

Excellent blog on songwriting by Brooke Fraser...

Recording artist, Brooke Fraser, recently wrote an excellent blog on songwriting and how she approaches it. Brooke has released 2 albums under SonyBMG (Australia & New Zealand), and is very well known for being a part of the Hillsong worship team. Check out her music on iTunes and at brookefraser.com.

For all of our Tate Music Group artists that are currently preparing the rest of the songs for your upcoming release with us, grab some tips from an outstanding writer like Brooke!

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In this blog I’ll discuss the foundation on which your songs are built. Whether you like it or not, there is one, and it’s you. Your worldview, your motives, your ‘issues’ are indelibly marked on everything you create in your life – whether it’s a song or a conversation or a Tweet. Being aware of your headspace and internal-environment goes a long way to understanding why you are or aren’t writing the type of songs you’d like to.

Over the past few years, many of you have written to me and said you would appreciate it if at some point I could share a little about songwriting. It isn’t something I’ve written about before, and as much as I enjoy blogging about everything non-music related, for some reason now feels like the right time to bring this wee series to the table. This certainly isn’t an objective study on the theme – what I write here will be subjective, personal, completely taken from my own journey as a writer. I’m in no way attempting to table a thesis here or pretend I’m some sort of expert, which I absolutely am not. So with that cleared up, on we go. ☺

You Are What You Eat

In songwriting workshops I’ve been involved in in the past, I have often said (partly to get a laugh but partly because I believe in the metaphor) that songs are like poo. Songs are like poo because:

1) You get out what you put in. Many people are naturally gifted-songwriters, but many successful songwriters are people who aren’t naturally musically gifted but have worked really hard at their craft. Read Malcolm Gladwell’s “Outliers”… it brilliantly dissects the “myths” behind success – culture and opportunity have a lot to do with it… but the truth is, people who excel at anything usually work really, really hard. The 10,000 hour rule.

2) It is a product of what you feed yourself. If you feed yourself rubbish, what you output will be rubbish. I you feed yourself nutritiously, what comes out will be healthy. It’s the same with what we feed ourselves emotionally and spiritually. (I’m not going to get all weird on you, don’t worry – this is pretty logical.) If you’re listening to music with lots of minor chords and cynical lyrics about how the world is an awful, desolate hell and where no one can be trusted, reading depressing books, watching depressing films… it isn’t unlikely that your worldview* will reflect the negativity and cynicism you’re dwelling on/putting into yourself through your eyes and ears.

*“1. the overall perspective from which one sees and interprets the world. 2. A collection of beliefs about life and the universe held by an individual or group”

I’ll expand on this a little now. If you’re an artist or creative person of some kind, your artistic “digestive system” is your heart, mind and senses, your soul. So if something affects your soul, it affects your art.

Example.

Last year we introduced my music to the Americans for the first time. We toured extensively, did press/promo and achieved some exciting results. We substantially increased our touring base in the U.S. and by the end of 2008 were playing to audiences up to eight times the size of those I played to when we first did some showcases at the end of 2007. Thanks to U.S. iTunes selecting Albertine as Editor’s Choice for a week in June and putting a banner on their homepage, the Albertine record reached #5. You amazing people that came to shows sponsored swathes of precious children through World Vision and raised a ton of money for development work in Rwanda through the light-bulb t-shirt we introduced on the September tour. This was huge for us.

But behind the scenes a whole bunch of other stuff was going on and by the end of the year I was emotionally exhausted and the long period of sustained high stress had wrecked my body. I was forced to pull out of my last scheduled tour of the year and spent the month of October in bed on aggressive antibiotics. In November I took off to Africa, a place that is always challenging and healing for me. I didn’t want a bar of being Brooke Fraser. It took me a while to be able to pick up a guitar again.

Now it’s July 2009. I’ve picked up my guitar again, opened up Garageband and poised my pencil and I’m ready to be a conduit of the songs I’m trusting will come. But I’m more aware than ever of how my internal environment will affect the songs that come out of me. So to be honest, the way I’ve been writing so far is by dealing with all the “stuff” on the inside that I do not want to colour what I write and more importantly, how I live and hope and trust. Before I pick up the guitar or sit at the keyboard, I’ve been “writing” by feeding on the stuff I do want to mark my life and my art… hope, grace, forgiveness. Don’t get me wrong – I will write this next record very honestly and it won’t be all rainbows and butterflies – but I’m aware of the ‘aroma’ I want my songs to have, and it’s not one of bitterness, but one of grace. Grace doesn’t deny a wrong suffered or pretend it wasn’t that big a deal, but forgives it and loves in spite of it. I’ve received it so now I’ve gotta learn to give it, even though I’m not always the best at this and I’m still angry about some things. I am human.

Humanity and Art

“[Picasso] said this one thing I really did like, he said “good taste is the enemy of great art” which I think is very true. Good taste has all to do with being cultured and being refined and if art has to do with anything, it has to do with being human.” – Rich Mullins

Therein lies the guts of what I’ve attempted to unpack a little today. The humanity behind our art. Our struggle to navigate the world and society with all the infinite uniqueness of our personality, family background, emotional and genetic heritage, temperament, talents, mistakes, triumphs, preferences, IQ, sexuality, spirituality, language, birth order, addictions, allergies et cetera. Finding our place in the beautiful brokenness that is humanity and observing and recording what we discover along the way. I think the greatest art will always come from honest descriptions/depictions of our experience in the great in-between of being human.
Here’s to your humanity and mine, and the art it shall make.

Brooke